From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
It was a day of agony as part of the electronics section of Nsukka Market was gutted by fire in the early hours of penultimate Friday.
The ferocious fire destroyed electronics gadgets, electrical appliances, generating sets and other goods worth over N50 million.
The distraught Chairman of Nsukka Market Electronic and Electrical Dealers Association, Mr Emma Asogwa, in a chat with newsmen who visited the scene described the fire incident that razed shops of about 20 of their members as unfortunate, “especially at this economic recession period.”
According to him, the “members affected are those who have their shops along Slaughter Road opposite private park of Nsukka Main Market.
“The fire started around 2:00 a.m from residential building opposite Nitel building in Nsukka, but the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
“Electronics, electrical appliances destroyed by the Friday early morning fire disaster were worth over N50 million.”
He appealed to state, federal and philanthropists to come to the aid of the affected traders, saying that the fire destroyed all their goods.
“Government and philanthropists should come to the rescue of these traders who have lost their goods to fire disaster. All electronics dealers in the Nsukka market has closed for today to enable us have time to attend to our members who the fire incident affected, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained,” he said.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after visiting the scene of the fire incident and Bishop Shananan hospital Nsukka to see Mr Reginald Asueze, who sustained burns during the tragedy, the Nsukka Local Government caretaker chairman, Prof Rose Onah, described the damage done by the fire as enormous.
She said the council would set up a committee to look into the cause of the fire so as to avoid future recurrences.
“I am shocked on the extent of damage caused by the fire, as goods worth millions of naira are destroyed.
“The council will set up a committee to find out the cause of the fire so as to avoid future recurrence. Nsukka LG will help to bring the attention of both the state and Federal Government on the fire disasters so that those who lost their goods to the fire will be assisted,’ she said.
Mrs Onah commended the quick intervention of fire service men when they were alerted of the fire which she said helped to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.
When contacted, Mr Matthew Ani, operation officer, Nsukka Fire Service Station, said that they got the distress call around 2:41a.m on that fateful Friday, and his men got to the scene by 2:48a.m and started battling to put out the fire.
His words: “We responded as soon as one Anayo Ozor came to the station to inform us of the fire incident.
“We reached the venue by 2:48a.m and started battling the fire, we left there by 6:46a.m.”
He attributed the cause of the fire to an electricity spark, which he blamed on the inability of some people to switch off their electrical appliances before closing their shops.
“It’s always advisable to switch-off all electrical appliances before closing shop for the day to avoid spark if there is power surge from public power supply. The cause of the fire is a spark from the public electricity supply,” he insisted.
Ani urged traders to always have fire extinguishers in their shops, adding if there were fire extinguishers in the shops, the fire service men could have easily used them to put off the fire before more damage could have been done.
“We advise traders to buy fire extinguishers and put in their shops but they will not obey,” he said.